Specialized Sequoia vs Trek Pilot

[kelownagirl]

? Regarding comfort in the racing bike?
Well, I have an up-right which I still use for commuting (but not for long) and my current Cannondale R800 (CAAD 7 frame which I love). I have to say that I am much more comfortable on my road bike and can happily ride it for 6 hours without stopping. I only ever get numb hands and neck pain on my up-right so I am a complete convert.

You have to remember that road bikes are designed for riding long and hard and they are good at what they do. You have many more handlebare positions and even saddle positions on a roadie.

It might not feel instinctive, but its worth persisting with.

Thanks for the responses - you guys are so helpful here! Nice to hear the Synapse has had good reviews - I didn't realize it was a FULL carbon frame. Can't wait to go see one this afternoon.

As for the "comfort" concerns - I think the problem isn't so much in the back, arms, neck part - I think I can get used to that. It's the crotch. I have only ridden road bikes around parking lots so far and I can't believe the discomfort on the crotch when I am leaning more forward than my mountain bike. On one bike, I was sore for an hour after only a 5 minute ride. Of course, I realize it is supposed to be largely a matter of adjustments to the bike, finding the right seat etc. But I am reading here about so many "crotch" pain concerns that I can't help being worried about it. When I rode the 2 more upright bikes, I was surprised at how much more comfortable I was when I wasn't leaning forward and putting so much pressure on my front "girly bits" (as you ladies call them.) Argh - it's so hard to know. I guess I really do want a real road bike but at the same time, I am afraid of spending $2000 and not enjoying riding it.

And then there is the issue about what I want to bike for... I ride 3-6 times per week now - 100-125 km/week - hopefully more in the summer. On flats and hills. Longer rides on the weekends - working my way up to centuries. I'd like to do some more challenging stuff eventually - Banff to Jasper, longer rides with overnighters. Club rides. And as dh says, I have that "racing" gleam in my eye. Maybe I do - I don't know. I'm pretty old to get started at that sort of thing but at the same time, I'd hate to discount it....

OK, sorry this got so long-winded. I need to go to work. TGIF.

barb

[farrellcollie]

I test rode both the Pilot and the Specialized before I bought the scott contessa . The pilot felt faster/zippier to me. I would probably have the pilot if not for the black/pink writing on it.

[remigo]

I have a Specialized Sequoia (not the elite tho!) and I do find it pretty comfortable. I haven't had much experience riding other road bikes, so I probably won't be offering any words of wisdom, but I'll ramble on a little about it anyway!

Firstly, I like that when I go out with the group, I can tell my bike apart from the 20 Treks.

Secondly, I like that I have a triple chain set, and low low gears because I am a terrible climber.

However, I know (too well!) what you mean about leaning on the girly bits. On my old sit-up-and-smile hybrid, I never had any soreness in that region, (but I rarely cycled much more than 100k in a week. My last single ride was longer than that!) and I certainly suffer from it now.

I have the suspension seat post, I can't really tell if it actually makes a difference. I was talking to someone about it before, and they said it was just a gimmick really. My saddle is the Specialized Milano, and I'm considering changing it, but the thought of researching all that info about saddles gives me a headache! After about 2500km, there is a little bit of fraying in the material - I would've expected it to be more resilient than that.